“Were lies. I was angry as hell with you, but that lasted all of two seconds. When I yelled at you and told you to get out of my church, I saw the truth. It was etched all over your beautiful face. Every word out of your mouth was an attempt to protect me. I didn’t piece it all together until much later, but I knew at that moment that your entire performance was a lie.”
“Nevada told my family about us. She suspected something was going on, so they sent an investigator. They have pictures of us at the cabin.”
“I know.”
“How?”
“Galen was in that mansion with you for six months. He watched and listened and reported back.”
“Goddamn Nevada…” I kept my voice soft despite the fury seething through me. “I know she put her hands down your pants. I mean, seriously, Magnus. How the fuck did that happen?”
“She’s an entitled, immature, dishonest brat. She unbuttoned her shirt in my classroom, and that was as far as she got. I chased her into the hallway without touching her. She didn’t put a hand on me.”
“So it was a rumor.” My shoulders fell with relief.
“No one touches me but you.”
“I love you.” Blood thudded through my veins.
“I know.”
“Galen told you that, too?”
“No.” He slid his thumb along my bottom lip. “Your face did. That day in the church, I watched your heart break into a million pieces.”
He was on the move again, guiding me out of the building and onto the noisy, crowded streets of New York City.
“We’re not going far.” Sexy brown hair fell over his forehead.
I gave in to the impulse to reach up and sweep the strands away from his stunning face. “How did you buy a controlling interest in the Kensington dynasty?”
“I have a lot of money.” He led me down the next block, turning every female head in his direction as he passed.
He’d been gorgeous in his priestly white collar. But in a suit and tie? The man was dangerously, deliciously, seductively arresting. Every time I looked at him, I felt incapacitated. There were no thoughts, no focus, only desire and the agony of waiting.
“How much is a lot of money?” I asked.
“Does it matter?” He cut an icy glance at me. “Does it change the reason you’re here?”
“We’ve had this conversation before.” I sighed. “I just want to know how you did it.”
“I traded some stocks, moved holdings around, sold businesses, bought others, flipped a few—”
“How many women did you seduce into selling their companies?”
“None.” His voice snapped, harsh and angry. “There have been no women. How could you even think that?”
“I didn’t think it. It’s just… You did all this in six months?”
“Yes.”
“While you were teaching at Sion?”
“I only had two classes. I spent the rest of the time growing cash flow.” He glanced at me. “And I sold Sion Academy.”
“To buy Kensington?”
“To invest in you.”
My cheeks rose. “You rescued me.”
“Not because I see you as in need of rescue. But rather because I see your intelligence, your extraordinary potential, and nurturing that nurtures something inside me.”
Ours was a brain-body-soul connection—all three at once at an intensity that consumed me in the most poignant way.
At the next block, he escorted me into a fancy building with gold doors and uniformed doormen. I glanced up at the awning.
Kensington Hotel.
Just one of the hundreds of Kensington luxury hotels across the world.
“You own this.” I laughed, shaking my head.
“I own a great many things.” He ushered me inside with a possessive hand on my lower back.
The busy foyer parted for him. Not because he was the owner. No one knew that. Everyone moved out of the way because he carried himself like a boss, a ruler of men, radiating take-charge vibes with a profound sense of duty and strength.
He stopped at the bay of elevators and pulled me close, bringing us face to face. “Anything else before we head up?”
Once we stepped onto a lift, there would be no more talking. Not until we took the edge off this need burning between us. That could take hours. Days.
“The last time I saw you, in the church, you told me to choose you.” I drew in a shaky breath. “I did. I chose you the best way I knew how.”
“Tinsley,” he said gruffly, sliding a hand around my neck. “I know, baby.”
“I love you,” I whispered, tasting the ache in the back of my throat.
“I love you maddeningly.” He brushed the hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear and keeping his touch there.
“I loved you then, too. So much.”
His hand tensed in my hair. “You’re killing me, princess.”
“You told me to take a leap of faith. I should’ve done that. I should’ve trusted you to take care of everything from the beginning.”
“Leap with me now.”
I hit the button that called the elevator. A ding sounded. The door opened, and I backed into the empty lift with excitement thrumming through my circulation.